Fitting in Goa to an Indian itinerary is a great plan if you want to have a bit of time to lounge in the sunshine on paradise beaches and discover a beautiful region of the country.
What a lot of people don’t also realise is that Goa is also a great destination to discover a bit more about India’s eclectic heritage as it is home to lots of amazing museums.
Here is a guide to just a few of the best museums to check out while staying in Goa.
1. Goa State Museum
The Goa State Museum in Panaji is as good a place as any to begin. It has 12 galleries that showcase a variety of exhibits, ranging from Hindu and Jain sculptures to beautiful Portuguese furniture. There is a section dedicated to the history of printing, as well as an entire installation featuring antique lottery machines.
For a look back into Goa’s more ancient past, spend some time browsing the objects on display in the cultural anthropology section, as clay utensils, traditional sculptures, old games and agricultural tools are among the pieces you can view. If art is more your thing than history, you’ll want to set aside some time to look at the contemporary art by a selection of Goan artists, including Chimulkar, Souza and Gaitonde.
2. Archaeological Museum
In the former capital of Old Goa, which is around 9 km away from Panaji, is the Archaeological Museum, along with a host of fascinating buildings and churches dating from the period of Portuguese rule. Situated in the convent of the church of St Francis of Assisi are a selection of exhibits relating to everything from old coins to postal stamps.
Items dating from the medieval and prehistoric eras can be found within this vast collection, as can paintings of Goa’s former governors and viceroys, and sculptures of Christian icons – such as the ivory replicas of Jesus’s crucifixion and the wooden statue of John the Baptist.
3. Museum of Christian Art
The Museum of Christian Art is also located in Old Goa, so it’s worth visiting it on the same day as your trip to the Archaeological Museum. This establishment is said to be the only one of its kind in Asia and you’ll find it appropriately located in one of the former state capital’s many churches – the Convent of Santa Maria.
Inside, all manner of paintings, sculptures, furniture and other religious relics are on display, each with their own link to Christianity. Some of the exhibits focus on artworks that adorned many of Old Goa’s churches in their heyday, while other installations offer an insight into daily life at a place of worship, with things such as incense boats, altar cards and intricately-decorated cruets on show.
4. Wax World
Believe it or not, Old Goa is also home to its own waxworks museum that is reminiscent of Madame Tussauds. Famous figures from Indian culture have been immortalised in wax, as has a life-sized recreation of Michelangelo’s famous painting The Last Supper.
It’s not expensive to pop in and it won’t take you too long to look around, but it’s worth it if you enjoy heading slightly off the beaten track and seeing something a bit more quirky than your standard museum fare.
These are just some of the museums you can easily visit in Goa or from the state’s capital Panaji. Goa has a truly fascinating heritage and it would be a shame to leave without scratching the surface of this interesting and diverse culture. View more recommendations on my Goa travel guide.
